He formed the Second Avenue Rhumba Band with vocalist Fonda Rae and scored a #1 hit on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Deputy of Love" [1] in 1979.
Armando "Sonny" Bonilla was born and raised in East Harlem, New York City, the eldest sibling of a family composed of five sons of a Puerto Rican father – Roman Armando Bonilla, the leader of the East Harlem Orchestra – and a Colombian mother.
[2] One of his younger brothers, Luis Bonilla, played congas on Larry Harlow's breakout album Heavy Smokin'.
He worked on Sesame Street, before joining Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band.
The Second Avenue Rhumba Band's song, "Goin' to a Showdown," and "Winter Love " was featured in the 1980 horror film Maniac.